Door-ed in DC

Ok annoying little fact about this blog post: it is Take 2 after a post I was especially fond of was SWALLOWED by an errant internet that was acting out because it wanted attention. Last night I wrote a fresh blog post that happened the night of the incident you will shortly learn about. NOW it's a day-old and frankly not quite as interesting. I had even used "duplicative" last night! *sigh*. Read on, brave reader...you may still find enlightenment yet...

ha. ok. so.

To "door" is to [unwittingly] open one's car door into a passing person, often on a bicycle, and often with less than positive results. (let's make this an interactive lesson: ALWAYS check both ways before crossing the street, and ALWAYS check behind you if you're going to swing your door open in an urban street). To be "door-ed" is to HAVE a door swung into you while pedaling or pedestering on said urban street.

Why is this a relevant lesson? BECAUSE IT'S BECOMING AN EPIDEMIC!! In the span of 12 days, THREE people I know got DOOR-ED while on their bikes! and one of them was ME. last night! mother of pearl!

ok so stories. Katy was the first victim. 12 days ago she was cycling along one evening and was slowing to a red light and *BOOM* was doored from a woman coming out of her parked car. Katy was plopped off her bike and her chain popped off and her finger jammed. But she thought she was fine. and then the following day she did all her normal activities - including helping to lift people at her hospice-home workplace - and the next day her back threw a mutiny and it hasn't let up until just this weekend, but it's still very tender. she's been sidelined due to her dang door incident.

last night, I was biking to Katy's to go and meet up with our old housemate Clay and some of his friends. on the way, I had cause to coast down Columbia Road, a downhill stretch right before a red light, and as I was coming past the 2nd-to-last car in the lineup before the red light, *BOOM* the door swung out - of the back passenger side - at the exact moment I was passing him. this punk kid just started laughing and laughing as my bike stayed next to the door and my body flew to the ground. I got up and this old man on the side walk helped me pick up my bike and the guys in the fire truck in front of the culprit car all asked if I was ok and the guy in the car behind the punk kids asked if I was alright...and I checked all my limbs and everything seemed to be in working order. I popped my chain back on and made sure everything else was fine. the fire truck didn't go thru the intersection until I was back on my bike and waved them away. I appreciated the concern of the others, but was s.o. annoyed at the (15? year old) punk kid who just laughed the whole time. yo...dude...this is NOT youtube. it happened and my knee is swollen and thanks for nothing.

all that griping done, I am feeling ok, and feeling fortunate that nothing worse happened. my knee was swollen, and still is a bit, but it's improving little by little and I'm still mobile.

incident number THREE was on the way to church today, one of the current DY girls got door-ed IN A BIKE LANE. she was thrown into the left lane, but there was thankfully no traffic coming, so she wasn't hurt outside of a few bumps. we all commiserated with one another after church.

I guess since I've been biking now for over a year here in DC, my confidence has turned to an unrealistic belief in some sort of superhuman realm of safety that surrounds my bike like an invincibility cloak. well, no more. I now have a more sober perspective, or a renewed healthy fear (reverence) for the vulnerability of me - the city biker - on the open road. now, parental readers out there need not worry: I share this story not to sow fear but just to reap sympathy....haha..no no but just to acknowledge that like any driver of a moving vehicle, we all take risks. So, I will be careful, and alert, and I will pray that car-drivers remember to *cautiously* open their doors and check before doing so, and I will be ever more vigilant about checking/anticipating potentially stupid behavior in the dance we call sharing the road.

*note:* flowers, cards, sympathy checks, and other tokens of your care and concern can be sent to.. :) hehe..just kidding just kidding...